Chinese

The aim of Spoken Chinese is to enhance the proficiency of oral communication by learning common vocabularies and sentences.

Basic Class: Mainly for students with zero Chinese ability, or at the stage of learning Pinyin, common Chinese characters and simple Chinese words and sentences.
 

This course consists mainly of the translation from classical Chinese into English, and hence students must have at least a working knowledge of both these languages. The secondary focus of this course is to develop academic writing skills, knowledge of translation theory and practice, and enhancing students’ knowledge of the historical and cultural background of the texts read in class. This course introduces the characteristic features of traditional culture of China, and investigates their significance on the contemporary Chinese society. Specifically, the course focuses on the relationship between the traditional cultural heritage and the contemporary China. Besides, it covers general ideas of the main texts on Chinese literary, history, and philosophy. In addition, some archeological and anthropological research are introduced for relevant issues. This course also introduces students to key ideas in translation theory and practice, which are relevant to anyone working in a multi-lingual environment. Students are encouraged to consider the problems of both the source text and the target language, and guided in strategies towards overcoming these difficulties. This course also introduces English language academic writing, aimed at students of Chinese language and literature.

The texts read in class consist of selected chapters of the Ming dynasty classic historical novel, the Dongzhou lieguo zhi 東周列國志 (Romance of the Kingdoms and States of the Eastern Zhou) by Feng Menglong 馮夢龍 (1574-1645). The period in history covered by this novel (771-221 BCE) is crucial in the history and culture of East Asia, and it provides a highly readable, interesting and historically accurate portrayal of the era. This novel is also important in that it consistently stresses the cultural importance of these events, and their ongoing significance for later Chinese history right up to modern times. In addition to translation, students will be expected to discuss issues raised in the text, and to defend their ideas in discussion in class.

This course is for students who have taken Intermediate I of the Chinese Language Course for International Students or those who have taken Chinese for at least 450 hrs. The course develops proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing to deal with complex situations within daily lives, and discuss about complex issues, such as economy, transportation, societal culture and etc with people. Students learn to read simple document forms and announcements and to write a short essay of at least 300 words to express oneself. This course uses the textbook “Practical Audio-Visual Chinese IV” (chapter 1-11). Assessment: attendance and participation (20%), quizzes (20%), assignments (20%), midterm exam (20%), final exam (20%).

This course is designed to help upper level Chinese as a Second Language students to improve their literacy through Chinese newspaper articles. The goal of this class is reach at least a 70% understanding of articles. Every class focuses on one section within a news site. Each week a student chooses an article and prepares to teach the rest of the class the key words needed to grasp a basic understanding of the content.